


Let the dust settle

by iwasanartist



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 11:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16325102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasanartist/pseuds/iwasanartist
Summary: Tony and Nebula were all that remained.





	Let the dust settle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hecate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hecate/gifts).



Tony sat in the dirt and ash of Titan. He tried to move. He tried to breathe, to think. But it was like an icy hand gripped his heart and wouldn’t let go. They were gone, and for a moment, Tony thought he might die with them. Float away in a wisp of dust. He waited for it. A tiny part of him hoped for it. And then he heard the scream. More like a roar that broke through his fog, slapped away the icy hand and hauled him to his feet. 

A woman, blue, was on the ground with a chunk of ship or building or maybe even moon pinning her legs. But her cries weren’t of pain or fear. They were rage. She pounded on the weight, letting out another guttural yell.

“Hey!”

She jerked her body around, eyes wide to look at him, scrambling for a weapon she couldn’t quite reach.

“Who are you?” Tony asked.

“Nebula,” she spat. “Daughter of Thanos.” Tony immediately raised his hand. The best his suit could manage was a blaster that wasn’t quite up to speed with the Mark III’s flight stabilizers, but it was better than nothing. His palm glowed. “Adopted,” she continued. A memory that seemed positively ancient blew the dust off itself in Tony’s brain. “More like abducted.” 

"Huh," Tony said, wondering if she'd ever met Thor. If she'd met Loki. "Tony Stark." He raised his hand higher and watched her eyes widen as it glowed brighter. A burst of energy shot out, catching the hunk of debris just enough to move it off of her. As soon as she was free, she dragged herself to the weapon, picked it up and pointed it right at him.

“Whoa, hey, come on!” Tony yelled. “I just helped you!”

She stared at him for a moment before lowering the weapon and turning her attention to her legs. They were prosthetic. Tony moved closer as she worked on one leg, pulling bits of detritus, and maybe even some mechanics out and tossing them aside, twisting, tugging and pulling what was left until the metal reconnected to her body, itself even at a distance he could tell was a marvel of biology and technology. Her efforts were hampered by a mechanical finger that kept slipping out of joint at a janky angle. He looked at his own hands, still caked in blood and sweat and … dust.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut and pushed the thought away. There was work to do. He couldn’t mourn Peter or dwell on Strange, Quill and the others yet. Not with Thanos still out there. Not when there was still hope for the people back home. He reached out to Nebula, but she jerked away, shooting him a glare that could probably end worlds all on its own.

“I don’t need your help,” she said coldly.

“Yeah well, maybe I need yours.”

Her eyes narrowed at him.

“To do what?”

He nodded in the direction of a ship. Quill’s, maybe. Even from the outside it looked like it had taken some damage.

“To fix that ship,” he said. “Find Thanos, and put a fist-sized hole in his head. See if there’s a way to reverse all this.”

She gazed shrewdly at him. A lot of people had judged him in is life — sometimes even actual judges — but he’d never felt quite as sized-up as he did when her eyes bore into him.

“What can you do?” she asked. Cautiously, he raised a hand, hovered it about six inches over hers and gave a shake, watching as nanites dripped down like water and integrated with her mechanics to set the loose finger before disappearing into the metal. She looked at him with wide eyes before turning her gaze to her hand, flexing a fist a few times and nodding at him.

“What else can I do?” he asked. He’d given her all that remained of his suit. The only things he could rely on now where his brain and his skills, which she immediately put to use, directing him on repairing her other leg while she went to work on an arm. When they were done, he helped her to her feet. She held onto his arm as they made their way toward the ship. The makeshift work had left her legs uneven. The nanites did their best to compensate, but there was still enough difference to leave her limping until she was able to adjust her gait.

By the time they’d reached the ship, she was walking on her own. She reached out to the metal, running her hands over its surface until she found the sensor to release the ramp.

The ship was cramped on the inside — certainly smaller than it looked on the outside — and a part of Tony itched to explore and investigate and take things apart. But Nebula seemed to know where she was going. She stopped a small computer terminal and punched a few buttons until a damage report appeared on screen.

“Quill rushed his landing,” Nebula grumbled. “That and the battle have left a significant amount of work.”

“Can we fix it?”

She tapped a few more keys, pulling up inventory and schematics.

“Yes.”

Tony rubbed his hands together and turned a circle, surveying the surroundings.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s get to work.”


End file.
